The Better Business Bureau received more than 2,000 complaints about door-to-door sales scams for 2012. The 2011 complaints totaled to about 1,300.

The FTC report includes detailed descriptions of warning signs of what it refers to as a “Security System Scam”. According to the FTC, the scams’ salespeople come to the doors of residents who have the sign of a competing home security company on their lawns. They then pretend to be from that security company and take over the system. Usually, the customer has no clue until well after the install.

These sales agents often lie or falsely assert that the homeowner’s current company is going out of business and that the agent has been sent to replace the resident’s system. The salesperson may also claim to be from the company that the homeowner already uses and is simply there to “update” the customer’s system.

What follows, according to the FTC, is a flurry of false promises and high-pressure sales tactics. The sales agent often promises free equipment, free installation and low monitoring rates—none of which are in the final contract. The salesperson may also claim that the discounts are only available if the customer signs the contract right away, in order to ensure the customer does not have time to do any personal research.

There have even been reports to the FTC that these salespeople, who are often only employed for a summer program and are paid by the number of sales they make per day, target the elderly. One 95-year-old woman in Tennessee was tricked into paying thousands for a system she had no intention of buying, by a salesperson who refused to leave her home until she signed the contract.

One home security company Vivint, Inc., formerly known as APX Alarm, changed its name after receiving extensive customer complaints about its door-to-door sales tactics. A full investigative report was done by Memphis, Tennessee’s Action News 5 on Vivint and its door-to-door sales method.

While some companies are not blatantly unscrupulous, the lasting impact from a rushed sale can be just as devastating. Here are the top five lies that high-pressure salespeople will use when trying to close a sale.

The security system is completely FREE.

This offer is only available for a limited time.

There has been recent crime in your area.

Our equipment and installation is top-quality.

I’m from your current home security company.

These types of practices should tip customers off to the kind of company they are dealing with. If a company feels the need to ask customers to sign on with them in a high-pressure way, it can be a good indicator that service will suffer down the line.

The Unscrupulous Lies That Will Cost You

Lie #1: “The security system and installation are completely free.”

A misleading sales tactic commonly used is to offer a “free” system and “free” installation. Although the promotion may sound like a great deal, the system is rarely high quality and costs the salesperson virtually nothing to give away. To receive this deal, the homeowner must sign an alarm monitoring contract of up to five years. The salesperson and company then make their money by overcharging on the monthly alarm monitoring service over the life of the contract. In most cases, this means thousands of dollars wasted on what was said to be a free product.

Lie #2: “This offer is only available today.”

Deceitful and unethical organizations will encourage their salespeople to close a sale by pressuring their way into a person’s home. Once inside, the salesperson will employ any means necessary to get the homeowner to sign the contract. These sellers will not take no for an answer, and some may even refuse to leave the residence until the homeowner agrees to sign a contract with the salesperson. The salesperson sometimes will also try to create urgency by claiming the deal is only available for a limited time. With this pressure, customers do not have time to thoroughly evaluate their homes’ security needs, explore different options and compare prices and products.

Lie #3: “There has been some recent crime in your area.”

Salespeople may also use scare tactics to persuade a customer into signing a contract. By inspecting the house and finding flaws, a salesperson can point out weaknesses in a home that intruders could use to break in. The salesperson may also make vague references to recent break-ins around the area, or use crime statistics and maps. By convincing customers their homes are unsecured in a dangerous neighborhood, this strategy uses fear, uncertainty and doubt to quickly close the deal. The concern and confusion caused by scare tactics potentially leads to panicked, hasty decisions, and also distracts the customer from reading the finer details of the monitoring contract.

Lie #4: “We have top-quality systems and expert installation.”

The “free” equipment given away is usually portrayed as a high quality product, and the installation done by trained professionals. However, this is rarely the case. Many homeowners have experienced unexpectedly poor equipment because the salesperson lied about the product features and agreement. The company affiliated with the salesperson does not have to claim responsibility for the sales tactics used. This is because in most cases, the salesperson is a contractor paid on commission. The salesman has no long-term investment in the company or the customer. After signing a contract, you are required to pay any and all fees. Even if there are problems with the installation or system.

Lie #5: “I’m from your security company.”

Unexpected salespeople will often falsely claim to be from the homeowner’s security company or another company to sell systems. They can easily determine this based on home security lawn stickers and signs. Some salespeople will say the homeowner’s current security company is going out of business. Other times they might say they have come only to update the system. However, these salespeople then install a brand new system and coerce the homeowner into signing a new contract as well. To close the sale, they will make references to police associations and even neighbors or acquaintances. These people will be unwilling or reluctant to give out personal information or identification.

Be sure to keep an eye out for these red flags when salespeople come up to your door. Not all salespeople are going to try and deceive you. But it is better to be aware of the scams. This way you can avoid the scam that costs homeowners up to thousands of dollars.

Protect Your Home From Door Knocking Security Sales Tactics

Fortunately, there are four easy steps customers can take to make sure they are never tricked into buying anything by unscrupulous companies.

The first step, according to the FTC, is to always demand identification from any door-to-door salesperson. Many states require sales agents to carry company identification on them. This is an easy way to spot if they are not who they claim to be. (Our Licenses)

Never let a salesperson into your home. Once inside, the salesperson can use high-pressure tactics and even refuse to leave. Instead, take their information and business card. Tell them you will look at it yourself and if interested, you will give them a call.

Remember to never sign any contract without reading it thoroughly; some companies or salespeople may slip in language that costs you thousands of dollars. Be sure to check the date on your contact as well. Some companies have been accused of backdating contracts so the customer can’t cancel within the cancellation period.

Finally, if you do find that you have been tricked by a salesperson, federal regulations give you a way out. If you sign a contract with a security company anywhere but at that company’s place of business, you are entitled to a 3 business day “Cooling-Off Period”. This means you can cancel your contract with no repercussions or fees. This applies even if the system has already been installed.

Simpson Security will never just show up at your door without contacting your before hand. If anyone ever comes to your door saying they’re with Simpson Security, call us immediately at (318) 443-3391.

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Author

Cole Simpson is the Monitoring Station Manager at Simpson Security Systems. His passion for helping others is what has helped him thrive in the Security industry. He holds a degree in Business Management and a Level 1 NICET certification in Fire Alarm Systems.

Comments (2)

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